SASB Land row: Saffron outfits shut down Orissa for 2 hours; road, train services paralyzed

Odishatoday, 13th August, 2008
By Anurjay Dhal

Bhubaneswar ( Orissa) : Hundreds of workers of RSS, VHP, Bajarang Dal, BJP, ABVP, Bhartiya Kissan Sangh and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangha under the banner of Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsha Samiti on Wednesday virtually shut down Orissa for two hours demanding restoration of land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board. The workers of the Saffron outfits blocked all National Highways passing through Orissa including the State capital Bhubaneswar. The protesters have blocked roads at all strategic points of the State capital including Master Canteen Square, ashulgarh Square, Palasuni Square, CRPF Square, Damana Square and Power House Square by burning tires to register their anger. "We would continue our protest till lands return back to the Shrine Board," said national co-convener of Bajarang Dal Subash Chouhan, who led a demonstration at Master Canteen Square. Coming down heavily on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi for minority appeasement policy to satisfy the separatists in the Kashmir Valley. The firebrand Sangh leader Chouhan further demanded immediate resignation Governor NN Vora. "We have conducted road blockade in entire State while our workers held demonstration in their respective district headquarters," Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsha Samiti State convener Dr Pramod Acharya said. The agitation would continue in Orissa as the Congress-led UPA Government is doing vote-bank politics to appease minorities including the separatists, he alleged. Meanwhile, according to the reports reaching here, protesters have also blocked roads in Cuttack, Sambalpur, Puri, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Berhampur, Phulabani, Koraput, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Rourkela, Balangir, Sundargarh, Khurda, Kalahandi, Angul, Dhenkanal and several other places. Train services were also affected due to the Chaka Jam.